Each year, OSTA selects outstanding Oklahoma Teachers for recognition through it’s awards program. It is my honor this year to be able to present the award for Outstanding High School Teaching to Jody Bowie, recently a teacher at Putnam City High School.
Jody is not only an exceptional teacher, but has gained notice as a teacher leader as well. He is a frequent workshop presenter at technology and science teacher staff development conferences and is an adjunct faculty member for Southern Nazarene University where he frequently teaches about using technology in authentic ways to increase student learning. His workshops and classes are more than reporting how technology can be used, but is taught through the techniques and tools to be imparted. He is a frequent presenter for the extensive technology staff develop program within Putnam City Schools. He has attended and presented to OSTA Conferences as well as to the ISTE (International Society of Technology Education) conference. He has al attended the annual OESE Teachers Evolution Workshop at The OU Biological Station and currently recently served on the OSTA Communications Committee. He was the Oklahoma Technology Educators Association Teacher of the Year this past year and was one named as one of the 12 finalists for 2011 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
His classes are models of the 21st century classroom where student often operate in a paperless environment to complete authentic/ rigorous tasks using technology to collect data, analyze results, and report findings. He was recently awarded yet another grant which he is using to bring robotics study to his physics classes. His students are active and involved learners. They most frequently work in cooperative learning groups producing authentic products that require extensive study and rigorous research. Their assessments are electronic and Jody makes extensive use of rubrics and mastery learning protocols. They write extensively about what and how they are learning and have a open dialog with their teacher, who is more coach and mentor that dispenser of all knowledge.
Unfortunately for us in Putnam City, but fortunately for the state, Jody left Putnam City High School in August to accept the invitation from the Oklahoma State Department of Education to become State Science Director. Please congratulate Jody Bowie, recognized at the OSTA Fall Conference with the 2011 OSTA High School Teacher Award.- Bob Melton